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Microstructural and mechanical aspects of AlSi7Mg0.6 alloy related to scanning strategies in L-PBF

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Abstract

AlSi7Mg0.6 alloy is the most widely used cast alloy for aerospace and automotive applications. Therefore, it is essential to explore the effect of scanning strategy parameters on the final part properties in the laser powder bed fusion (L-PBF) process. The effect of stripes and chessboard strategies parameters such as stripe length, rotation angle, and chessboard island size on mechanical and microstructural properties of L-PBF processed AlSi7Mg0.6 alloy is studied. The evolution of the residual stresses is also investigated in the longitudinal and transverse directions. Cooling rates are also estimated using the cell size within the melt pool. Three distinct regions (i.e., fine, coarse, and heat-affected zone) within the melt pool corresponding to different cooling rates could be identified based on Si morphology. The texture of the final material can be tailored by changing the scanning strategies. This study comprehensively presents the results concerning porosity, mechanical properties, crystallographic texture, cooling rates, grain morphology, and residual stresses for additively manufactured AlSi7Mg0.6 alloy.

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Acknowledgements

This work was conducted as part of the “ENABLE” project funded by the European Union’s Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) Innovative Training Networks (ITN) H2020-MSCA-ITN-2017 under the grant agreement Number 764979. The authors would like to acknowledge the contribution of Mr. Bega Jeremie, ENSAM, Bordeaux, for his continuous support and help provided for experimental analysis.

Funding

This work was supported by the European Union’s Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) Innovative Training Networks (ITN) H2020-MSCA-ITN-2017 under the grant agreement Number 764979. Author Pinku Yadav is the recipient of the abovementioned funding.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. SIRRIS, Rue du Bois Saint-Jean 12, 4102, Seraing, Belgium

    Pinku Yadav & Olivier Rigo

  2. UMR 5295, Université Bordeaux, CNRS, I2M, Talence, France

    Pinku Yadav, Corinne Arvieu & Eric Lacoste

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  1. Pinku Yadav
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  2. Olivier Rigo
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  3. Corinne Arvieu
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  4. Eric Lacoste
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Contributions

All authors contributed to the study conception and design. Material preparation, data collection, and analysis were performed by Pinku Yadav and Corinne Arvieu. The first draft of the manuscript was written by Pinku Yadav, and all authors commented on previous versions of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Eric Lacoste.

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Yadav, P., Rigo, O., Arvieu, C. et al. Microstructural and mechanical aspects of AlSi7Mg0.6 alloy related to scanning strategies in L-PBF. Int J Adv Manuf Technol 120, 6205–6223 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00170-022-09127-x

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